Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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DRHO2121 - Human Rights History and Policy


[1 Q. • 30 Th. • 4 ECTS - credits]


Lecturer : de Broux Pierre-Olivier
Language of instruction : The course is taught in French. In a passive manner, the students are likely to be confronted with documents written in English.
Learning outcomes : The course has a twofold goal:

- It aims to expand legal reflection per se in the field of human rights to an “interdisciplinary and critical science of law”, by using history as a means of tracing human rights legislation as we know it today.

- It thus requires becoming familiar with the historical background of the development of human rights. This will involve discussing the mechanisms of transformation, of conservation and of resistance that explain the evolution of human rights up to the present day.

Prerequisites : There are no prerequisites for this course. A good background in general culture relating to the history of international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries, however, constitutes a considerable asset for students.
Course contents : In a non-exhaustive manner, the following topics will be covered during this course:

- medieval and modern origins of human rights;
- historical and political ramifications of the American and French declarations of rights at the beginning of the 19th century;
- the protection of human rights within the European State-nations in the 19th century;
- historical and political ramifications of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- birth of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights
Mode of delivery : Lectures.
Assessment methods and criteria : Written examination.
Recommended or required reading : Communicated to the students in the course materials.
Materials: Syllabus-outline and Internet site on iFUSL (making it possible to post documents and Internet links useful for teaching purposes)